Nonsense in Nearly All Directions
by wyteeth
Summary: The Akatsuki are sent back in time (aka the Inuyasha-verse similar to feudal Japan) but they are no longer in their normal bodies: they're cats. Luckily, they were found by a gentle miko, Kikyou, and from then on they learn about the beginnings of chakra, ninjas, and the Uchiha. KikyouxAkatsuki
1. Chapter 1

Night was closing in fast on the seven oddly marked kittens. Disoriented and exhausted- their chakra was minuscule in these tiny bodies- it was unanimously agreed on that they should stop for the day and rest under a tree. Even the silver, aggressive kitten did not fuss much besides an occasional hiss. As the last remnants of light filtered through the leaves from the branches above, the orange tabby with black markings on its face contemplated their situation before drifting off to sleep.

That damn bastard.

To think that Pein would be able to do this even to me! If I had caught onto his plans of getting rid of us I would have killed the fool before he so much as made a single handsign. He must have transformed us into these useless creatures just to further humiliate us as well…

The moon rises and darkness blankets the landscape just as seven anachronistic kittens heaved their labored breaths into other sounds of the night.

* * *

The next morning, a miko dressed in her traditional red and white clothing walked down a dirt path while carrying a woven basket filled with medicinal herbs. She kept her eyes straight ahead but those who knew of her knew that this miko was Kikyou, the Great Miko of the East, and that her senses were vigilant and observant.

Meowwwrrrrr.

The sound comes from the right. Immediately, Kikyou jumps to her left and feels her spiritual power gathering at her fingertips, buzzing and tingling.

Hiss!

This time, Kikyou recognizes the sound is from a cat and hesitantly tiptoes towards the bushes that lined the sides of the dirt path. Holding the basket close in her left arm and keeping her right arm ready to attack, she finds the source of the cat cries.

Underneath a large, leafy tree there were seven kittens interspersed between the roots. Her eye focuses on a silver one with lilac eyes that was currently hissing and clawing at another kitten, tan and riddled with stitches.

"Okay that is enough out of you, little one!" Kikyou cries out and reaches for the silver kitten before its claws could swipe at the tan one. Unfortunately, its claws landed in Kikyou's arm and now all the kitten's attention is focused on the miko who had seemingly come out of nowhere (and for some of the kittens, the fact that she appeared undetected sent faint chills of uneasiness). With a hiss of pain, Kikyou pulls at the silver kitten's paw, each of its claws plucking itself out from under her skin with a drip of blood. The silver kitten stares as the blood dribbles out from the four little holes in her arm, its eyes focused as if it understood what it had done.

"You mean little thing, don't you know better than to attack your littermates?" Kikyou guesses that they must have all been littermates from the way they were all crowded together under a tree. She manages to push the kitten up her arm as she heals the four puncture wounds with ease. The kittens note the slight glow of purple coming from her fingers but it is gone before they can comprehend it. With a sigh and a weary look at their skinny bodies and messy fur she says, "I am guessing that none of you have homes. Why don't you all come with me and I can get you fed for one night?" She asks as if these animals could understand her speech, but in a world filled with demons and witches, it wasn't too far fetched.

Kikyou didn't know whether to accept or be wary that some of the kittens seemed to nod at her, answering her question. The kitten in her arm wriggled and hissed until the miko dropped it, the kitten gracefully landed on its paws and strutted over to the tan kitten's side, having the whole ordeal from earlier forgotten. With nothing more than a questioning brow, Kikyou decides that she could carry them all in the basket, if she takes out all the herbs she spent the past hour collecting.

Sigh. But all creatures deserve to be cared for and it is a miko's job to see to it. Kikyou sighs audibly and closes her eyes before reaching into the basket and taking out all the herbs.

* * *

The kitten with sleek black fur and red orbs stares at the woman as she removes things from her basket. The once-man-now-cat thinks about her earlier proposition.

Will she really follow up on her offer or is this some trap? She has not done anything alarming and she did seem to appear out of concern from Hidan and Kakuzu's squabbling. Though how she appeared without my notice leaves me to wonder: Is she a shinobi who is capable of concealing her chakra? Or is she just a civilian, who knew how to walk quietly enough that not even my heightened senses could have picked up her footsteps?

His thinking is interrupted when he sees Tobi march towards the woman, her own eyes flashing to the tabby, and sniffs at the plants that were taken out of the basket.

Daring fool. At least this confirms that she means no harm from how she allows Tobi to inspect her herbs like that.

* * *

"Since you stepped up, you can be in the basket first." Kikyou reaches down to the orange tabby and picks him up. Just as she touches the kitten, it meows gently and she can't help but smile at the creature's cuteness. "Cute one, aren't you?" She says as she puts the tabby into the basket and strokes its head once. It purrs happily.

Next, she reaches over and grabbed the two closest ones to her, the silver and tan kittens. The tan one allows to be held, albeit a bit wary of the hand grabbing him. The silver one however, tries to run but Kikyou expects as much and snatches him up and into the basket before it could dash off. "Little meanie." She quietly chides the silver kitten who is now hissing at her from inside the basket. The tan one droops its ear, almost as if sighing at the sight before it. Before Kikyou puts the tan kitten down, she inspects the stitches on the kitten that she saw earlier.

"My spirits, what has happened to you?" Kikyou gasps at the amount of stitches on the kitten's body that actually extends over its entirety. The stitches themselves however did not seem like any string that she has seen before, instead they were pitch black and sturdy. Without further contemplation she gathers spiritual energy in her fingertips and lightly brushes them along the kitten's body.

* * *

Kakuzu freezes, the sudden feel of chakra- no, not chakra, something similar but different- pulses through his body. Immediately, his fatigue, bruises, and cuts are healed by the woman and then his initial shock wears off.

She wanted to heal me. Interesting, that power of hers. That not-chakra.

The other kittens seemed to perk up and focus intently on what the glowing purple around the woman's fingers meant. The shinobi-men-turned-shinobi-kittens could feel the spike of energy, not exactly chakra but not not chakra either.

* * *

The red coated kitten narrowed its eyes at the woman, she didn't seem surprised by what she was doing, could she have been a ninja like them? Her "chakra" however didn't feel like anything else he's sensed before. It was something that felt ancient and sacred, something that took on the silhouette of chakra without taking its full form.

Perhaps this convenient "meal" could prove to be more useful than we originally thought. The red kitten takes a glance at the other kittens and with their own looks, it seems they all agree that this is no small matter.

"Strange. Your stitches will not close up...but it seems your smaller cuts have gone away. Perhaps that is all we can hope for, for now." Kikyou purses her lips together, struck with this mystery as to why her miko powers cannot even close up the small stitches on the kitten's body.

After placing the tan kitten into the basket she stands to get the next two. Picking up the yellow and red kittens with ease, she gently places them into the basket. The yellow one seems to hmmph as it is put down, and the red one rolls its eyes. Kikyou has brings up her hand to her lips to stifle a feminine giggle.

These kittens get more interesting by the second. It is like they each have a personality of their own! Kikyou thinks with a small smile. The yellow and red kittens both huff out indignantly.

Finally, she goes for the last two kittens but finds that as she turns to look for them, they both were already trying to climb their way into the basket.

"I see you are all ready to get fed, hmm? It is fortunate that the temple is not too far from here, surely we will make it in time for lunch."

She gives them all a gentle smile. In return, she gets a few blinks, a blank stare, a hiss, and a hearty meow as a response. She giggles again as she slowly lifts up the basket, careful not to disturb the kittens within, and returns to that dirt path, abandoning the herbs and leaving as quietly as she came.


	2. Chapter 2

Maybe it was a mistake to take the kittens back to the temple so soon, at least in the midday. When Kikyou finally climbs up the steps of the temple and reaches the platform above, Kaede is there, smiling and calling out to her.

"Kikyou-onee-sama*! I'm glad you're back I felt so bad about not coming with you but I had other chores to do and the other girls still didn't know how to properly wash clothes and-" Kikyou was already used to her younger sister's long winded speaking, but wonders why she has suddenly stopped talking. Tilting her head, she sees that Kaede's eyesight is pointing at the basket she is carrying.

The basket with seven little kittens.

Seven little kittens which are small and thus, adorable to children.

Oh.

"OH MY SPIRITS IS THAT A BASKET OF KITTENS I CAN'T BELIEVE IT KIKYOU-ONEE-SAMAAAA!" Kaede squeals excitedly.

All the kittens as well as Kikyou cringe at the shrill pitch at which Kaede was screaming. Of course, because of the miko's younger sister's screams, the rest of the temple stirs. Eventually, little heads pop out of a sliding door, older women with brooms turn their heads toward the sound, and a flock of birds fly in the opposite direction because they were disturbed by Kaede's yelling.

Kikyou decided to remedy the situation before more shrieking children gathered around. "Hush now, this is something that I can worry about myself, Kaede. It is best if you get back to your chores and then we can speak about this later tonight." Kikyou used her stern voice, the one that reminded others that she was the head miko of the temple.

Kaede immediately slapped her hand over her mouth. With a blush, she nods her head and leaves, though not without quietly whispering, "Sorry Onee-sama, but I'm really glad you're back."

Kikyou cannot help but smile fondly after Kaede's retreating body.

* * *

Why the fuck is that child screeching like a goddamn bitch in heat?! Jashin, I swear to you that the second that brat goes to sleep I'm going to slit its throat!

Hidan immediately flattened his ears and covered his head with his paws the second the child started screaming. Oh, he just knew he was going to get a goddamn headache after all this, seriously.

First, we end up in the middle of bumblefuck nowhere as cats! Fucking cats! Then we get picked up by some 16th century nun* and brought to this old ass temple with a million motherfucking stairs! And now there's shitty ass brats around! The second we find our way back to our world I'm going to kill Pein, oh, and everyone else in this Jashin forsaken group, seriously!

* * *

Kakuzu looks at his hissing teammate, seeing him in pain at least makes this whole ordeal somewhat better. With a hmmph, he thinks about the woman that is supposedly going to help them and where she took them because this was a temple alright, maybe a bit more crudely constructed than the ones he's seen (when he was still a human), but a large temple nonetheless.

Thinking back, on the way to the temple, they passed through a village before ending up below a grand flight of stairs which will obviously lead to the temple.

The village looks rural and underdeveloped, however it feels like there is a large "not-chakra" force that gets stronger the closer we get to the temple. On the way here, the villagers bowed and addressed the woman as "Kikyou-sama" or "Miko-sama". So, this woman is a miko hmm? I should have known from the clothes she was wearing.

Looking back towards the woman, who was making her way towards the back of the temple grounds, he supposes that this might be the best chance he's got to return to his world.

Quite honestly though, I do not know if we are in the same world even, or if we just travelled back in time...

When the woman, Kikyou, reaches one of the buildings in the back, she opens the sliding door and places the kittens inside before closing the door again. In here, Kakuzu can feel the "not-chakra" the strongest. It itches.

* * *

Meoooooowwrrr! Reooooowwwwr! Meeewwwrr!

Kikyou turns around to see the silver, blonde and orange kittens meowing towards the direction of the shikon others do not make a noise but it's obvious by how they're turned toward the shikon jewel that they notice its powers as well.

As she narrows her eyes at them she thinks, These are no ordinary kittens. They can sense the power of the shikon jewel, or else they wouldn't be reacting so strongly to it. I just brought them in here since no one but me is allowed to enter the shikon jewel shrine. Either they truly do not know what it is but can still sense the jewel's power, or if they are demons after the jewel, I must keep a vigilant eye on them. It would be foolish of me to dismiss their outward appearance as completely harmless.

At the end of that last thought, Kikyou has fleeting memories of another seemingly harmless being who was more than it seems.

"I take it you all can feel it, hmm?" At the sound of her voice, that seemed more serious than they have ever heard, the kittens swivelled their heads towards her form that was now looming over them. "I also take it that you understand what I am saying?" No response. She continues, "What you are feeling is the spiritual power of the shikon jewel. I am warning you now that if you dare try to take it, I will slaughter you." With a tone of finality, she glares at all of them to make sure they know that this "jewel" will not fall into anyone's hands- or in this case, paws.

* * *

Slaughter us, hmm? Girl, if you think you could do anything to us at all you are mist-

Without finishing that thought, Madara remembers the miko's glowing fingers from earlier. Bitterly swallowing his own words, he must admit to himself that the current body he has now leaves himself open to much greater risks, which also includes a young woman with gentle fingers.

Dismissing those thoughts, his mind wonders about this "shikon jewel". So that is what was pulsing out that strange energy. He could feel its power faintly while inside the village, but in this shrine, the jewel's power seemed to throb against his temple.

I wonder what this jewel is capable of, and why the miko, Kikyou, is so fiercely protective over it.

With nothing else to ponder for now, Madara reverts back to his "Tobi" character, and mewls at Kikyou.

* * *

Only the tabby kitten meowed in response to my threat. I looked at it sharply and it only wiggled its tail under my gaze.

With a sigh, I walked over to the wall opposite of the jewel where there were small cupboards that were built into the shrine walls. Since I am the sole protector of the shikon jewel, I sleep in this very shrine so that I can be right here should anyone try to take the jewel in the night- which many have tried...and failed. I slid open one cupboard that was on the upper half of the wall, which held some dried fish wrapped in cloth and a stone pot filled with rice grains. Grabbing both things, I head back to the door and slide it open with a foot. "Let's go, little ones, I did promise a meal to you all." I said quietly.

I led the kittens near the woods behind the temple. In there, there was a clearing next to a small, but deep, lake which has a small campfire-ready pile of wood in it. Surprisingly, all the kittens followed me, although the orange one had to be nipped by the blonde kitten to avoid straying and the silver one seemed to be bullied to stand between the tan and blue kitten. I set down the stone pot and the fish near the firewood and started working on getting a fire going. Seeing that I was busy, some of the kittens promptly started to play around. In my peripheral, I could see that the tabby somehow got the silver and tan ones to start chasing after it. The strange, blue fur kitten- who is by far the most strange in color- jumped into the lake and swam around- even its personality is strange for a cat. On the other side of me, I can see that the yellow and red kittens are swiping at the sand on the ground, almost as if they were making shapes in the sand. Like little artists, I thought with a small grin. The last one, with its pitch black fur and beady red eyes, was sitting on its haunches in front of me, just staring at me intently.

"If you want to be useful, do you think you can manage a fire?" I asked it jokingly. And I truly did mean that I wasn't serious. However, the red-eyed kitten just seemed to have a moment of realization- did its eyes look like they were spinning?- and got up to stand closer to the firewood. Without warning, I saw it in take a breath of air before a small plume of fire spitted out of its mouth and into the firewood, creating a small a fire that would eventually grow into one that can be used to cook.

Apparently I was not the only one stunned, as I blinked away my shock, I could see from the corner of my eyes that the other kittens have directed their attention to us. "What in the world?" I said under my breath. My voice seemed to break their shock, and then there was the meowing.

Mwoooeower! Reeeororew! Meeooooooooooowwweerrer! RrrrrWWwwwwereow!

I didn't even know what they seemed to be conversing about, but I can assume that it was about the little kitten's fire. Now I can definitively say that these were no normal cats.


	3. Chapter 3

The spiritual energy flowing through me in warning was causing the air to feel stiffer with each passing moment. I felt threatened and perhaps even betrayed by what these small kittens have neglected to tell me, or at least show me since they couldn't talk- or at least I hope that was something they weren't keeping from me either. In one fluid motion I had stood up and started to back up slowly, forcing my powers to pulse dangerously around me.

I just hope we are far enough from the temple to not bring attention to ourselves. Creatures as small as these should be easily disposed of, I thought. Subconsciously, I knew just how arrogant I was being for underestimating these kittens when I had just told myself earlier that day to not judge a character at first glance. At this moment however, with a kitten who could breath flames and six other kittens who were speaking to it with their own kitty language, the time for judgmental thinking has passed because I've already made my mind up now: they were potentially dangerous and I needed to get rid of them.

I just wish that Kaede will take it well when I tell her that the kittens have "run away" after being fed. With a sigh, my younger sister's reaction towards an absence of small, furry creatures distracted me long enough for the tabby cat to walk up to me.

Meow?

It asked it with such a tone that I could understand the question. I looked up at it as it tilted its head cutely at me and pawed at my direction. Taking a glance at the other cats, who were still conveniently in one group- I could blast a small amount of spiritual energy at them right now and only have to worry about the orange kitten, who I must admit seems the most docile and likable of all of them- I see that they were all facing me, some looking as if to challenge me, others like they were waiting for my reaction, and two of them were just giving me a blank stare.

When no one reacted, the silver kitten had had enough and huffed out before strutting over to me and meowing almost sarcastically. I narrowed my eyes at it as it continued to meow, shaking my head when I finally understood that it was trying to explain something to me or scold me or even both. The point was, the silver kitten was heaving itself dry of air from meowing at me like this.

"That is enough, Silver," I might as well call these kittens by their coat colors since I do not expect myself to name them all, at least not with a name with any meaning. "I get the feeling that you wish not to fight? If so, that is a wise choice and continuing not to antagonize me or anything pertaining this temple will ensure your safety longer."

The silver kitten looked up at me with sneering eyes and snorted, as best as a kitten can aka a small, high-pitched sneeze, before strutting back at his group of feline comrades.

* * *

Before I finished my newest masterpiece in the sand- not the finest medium, but I enjoyed how it disappears as the wind flies through it- I felt a rise of chakra coming from Itachi and Kikyou's* direction. Danna, who was next to me must have felt it too because his head snapped up towards them as well.

From here, I saw the last remnants of a fireball jutsu that Itachi managed to procure with what little chakra he had.

Weird, I thought. Itachi still has enough chakra to do something like that? As for myself, I'm damn near chakra exhaustion, last night's sleep did next to nothing to restore any chakra for me. Damn Uchihas, of course they would recover their chakra faster than most, I thought bitterly. Though I know that I'm not alone, there were others that could barely use their chakra as well. If whatever jutsu Pein had used on us didn't drain us of all our chakra, then for sure we would have gotten out of this mess sooner and kick his ass.

"What in the world?" I heard Kikyou say, and immediately we all gathered around Itachi.

It was Hidan with that big mouth of his that would, of course, start the shitfest that was going to happen.

"What the fucking hell* man, seriously?! Don't ya know not to use any of your goddamn shit in front of her?! I thought we agreed not to show the bitch anything until we know for sure she's going to help us!" Hidan practically growled out to Itachi.

"I agree with Hidan that it was not a wise choice to expose ourselves like this, Itachi. It will be much harder now to get out of our...situation, if you continue to be reckless." Kakuzu, in one of these rare moments, hardened his gaze on Itachi as he agreed with his partner.

Kisame gave a big roar of a laugh before saying, "Hey Tachi, if you wanted to show off to our dear lady friend over there, maybe you should wait until we actually have our human bodies back," with a leer now, "I mean, unless you think she's into beasti-"

But before Kisame could finish that sentence a rock from seemingly nowhere attacked the furry blue kitten's head just then.

The others barked out more comments about Itachi's display, despite him not even looking remotely fazed at being chewed out, until I felt a suffocating aura. It was Kikyou's power, I knew from the familiar feeling it had from when she healed Kakuzu. What was odd is that now that I know what the Shikon Jewel's power from inside the shrine feels like, I realized that both that jewel and Kikyou's powers were nearly identical in feeling.

Instantly, I could see out the corners of my eyes that the others have noticed this pseudo-killing intent* as well. If anyone even felt uncomfortable by it, no one let it show. My own feline features betrayed nothing from being schooled of years of being a deadly killer. We faced the source of the intent, the woman, Kikyou.

What kind of power does this woman even have? First, she shows that she can heal but instead of the normal green glow that medic-nins use, it was a faint lilac color. Then, the power of the Shikon Jewel, which seemed to just emanate some kind of cosmic power. Now that she's shown this pseudo-killing intent, the jewel's power and hers reveal that they are strikingly similar. I'm trying to remember what I knew of mikos and priests of my time, but the only things I remember is that some may have had chakra, but for the most part, temples dealt with sealing and barriers. However, Kikyou's energy does not fit what a normal seal or barrier jutsu would feel like because she wasn't even using "chakra" in the first place!

A mark of annoyance strains my face as I contemplate what this could all mean for us. Kikyou is most likely going to try to kill us, or at least attack us, because we've blown our cover as "normal cats". Then again, we weren't normal to begin with. I sigh, looking over at the rest of us until my eyes landed on Kisame, the blue kitten.

"Normal" huh? Yeah right, un.

I focus back on Kikyou and can see her standing in a defensive position, with her legs slightly crouched and one arm above her face. The other arm however, she held behind her. Without needing to sense it I knew she was charging up some kind of attack with her miko powers.

Just as I felt that I was going to run for it, Tobi padded his merry, little way towards her like the thoughtless idiot he was. Goddammit.

"Miss?" Tobi asked, though to Kikyou it probably just sounded like a cat noise. Whatever.

Having successfully gain her attention, she faced us again though her eyes were softer this time, or maybe she was wondering if killing us was even worth it.

With a huff, Hidan of course struts over to her to give her a piece of his mind. Here we go, I thought with a roll of my eyes.

"Listen here bitch, don't think you can even lay a finger on me. One time I was with this travelling circus and they were more fucking dangerous than you ever will be, hell the two headed twins once did-" At this point I just tuned him out because I swear the guy makes up like 90% of his stories.

Thank the gods or spirits or whatever that Kikyou shut his ass up and made him come back.

Kikyou speaks again, with resignation and a bit of a sigh , "I will still follow through on my offer to feed you all. But," she pauses, "Promise me you will all behave, as in no showing any kind of "powers" around the temple or in front of the people in the temple." She emphasizes the word "powers" as if we're the weird ones. Tch, you're the weird one with pretty, lilac colored not-chakra.

Woah did I just say pretty, un? But I do admit, her glowing, lilac fingers look like art-I MEAN they look like a sculpture of something I've seen before.

I shake my thoughts off roughly, though a faint blush warms my kitty cheeks. I just hope the blush doesn't show up as easily on my cat body as it did on my real body.

"I'm going to finish cooking, then when that's done you can all eat. I'd prefer if you all could gather around when it's done." Kikyou spoke with that softness she originally spoke to us to. In fact, I'm kind of relieved to see that the situation has calmed down and that she's no longer trying to kill/decapitate us.

* * *

Getting back to the food and fire, some of the kittens went back to what they were doing while others just hovered nearby, subdued by the near battle that had almost occurred. The red-eyed kitten still sat on its haunches in front of me, completely unperturbed by its sudden fire breathing and litter mates' reprimand.

I will have to watch myself and their actions closely from now on. These creatures are intelligent enough to follow conversations as well as breath fire. Perhaps they may not be demons or else I would have sensed their vile intentions, neither have they tried to come for the Shikon Jewel inside the shrine. Either way, it is clear that they are still small kittens that look worse for wear, I thought sadly. I still agree that they are cute, little things and my own personal biases of animals makes it hard for me to be cold to them. Especially when a certain tabby is rubbing its head on my thigh.

I blinked at the black cat, receiving nothing more than a blank stare, and then focused my attention on the tabby calling for my attention.

"You really are my favorite, little one." I said as I put the tabby in my lap. It purred noisily as I pet it and stroked the flames.

By the time the food was done, I had taken small pieces of cloth and used them plate the food. All the kittens seemed to sense- or smell- that the food was ready and padded over towards me and the campfire.

As we were all eating, I could really take a good look at each of their own personalities:

The black and blue kittens were eating together, the black one silently nibbling its pieces of rice while the blue one seemed to be eating both of their pieces of fish.

The tan one was trying to keep the silver kitten from swiping at his own food. I can tell they were eventually going to end up fighting again, I thought with a sigh.

The red one was quickly and messily eating its meal, as if it was a chore that had to be done, while the yellow one was picking out every single bone from its pieces of fish.

The tabby, who was still sitting on my lap while chewing on the head of the fish, was being cute as usual despite getting crumbs and slobber on my red nagabakama*.

For one passing moment, I felt like a normal woman. I mean, if being a normal woman meant having seven cats.

* * *

When we were done with our meal, the sun had began to set. It was only fall, but the days were already so short. I shake my head with a sigh when I think about how winter will leave the village a bit hungry and sick. Oh well, we must push on, it is my duty as a miko to be the protecter and guardian.

After we doused the flames of the campfire, I led the kittens back to the jewel's shrine. Before sliding open the door, I turned to all of them.

"You do not have a place to go." I merely stated because I knew it was a fact.

"Perhaps," and I could already feel all the stress that will follow with the decision I am about to make, "You would like to stay with me. I must make it clear that there will be strict rules and that I will not hesitate to eliminate you."

I looked at each of the kittens, some nodded their head in understanding while others just stared on.

"What I said earlier applies. No powers. You will also stay close to me at all times, unless you want to be bombarded with screeching children or women with brooms," I glanced toward the scowling silver kitten, "And you will be staying in my lodgings at night, which is here in the shrine."

Finishing my speech, I open the sliding door and allowed the kittens to climb up inside.

I had already laid down my futon as well as all my blankets for me and the kittens to sleep on. Before I could change out of my clothes, there was a light tap outside the door. Without looking, I called out, "Come in, Kaede."

"Oh Kikyou-onee-sama!" Kaede exclaimed brightly. "I'm glad to see you still have all the kittens!"

"And why wouldn't I?" I asked playfully.

"N-no reason!" Kaede remedied quickly with a nervous laugh. "Can I play with one before bed?"

I glanced over at the closest kitten, who thankfully was the friendly tabby. "Of course, how about that orange one?"

With a smile she gently picked up the tabby and cradled it within her arms. Almost immediately the kitten started purring.

"I found them on the road from the herb forest leading into the village, they were quite the sight." I said absentmindedly as I slowly untied my scarlet obi.

"As kind as ever, Kikyou-onee-sama! How did you know they were strays?" Kaede was still a child, but I knew that she could see underneath the underneath. She can easily read situations and ask the unspoken questions at times like these.

Sliding off the red nagabakama I answered, "They looked like they were suffering from malnutrition and their appearance has been neglected. Either they were strays, or their owners did not care for them. In both cases, my intervention was justified." Now that my white hitoe, jacket, is loose from my pants, it drapes over my legs.

I held no shame in changing in front of my sister, but the kittens seemed to turn away or busy themselves with something. Though the black kitten continued to stare vacantly while the silver one seemed to ogle like a lecher.

By the time I was naked, Kaede had quietly slipped out with a soft "Goodnight, Kikyou-onee-sama." which I had returned just as quietly.

Finding my sleeping robes, which were just a plain white yukata and sash, I pulled them on and took my hair out of its hair ribbons. With a relaxed sigh, I looked around the shrine.

Some kittens were already asleep while others continue to lounge about. Closing my eyes, I flared out my senses to pick up any unknown signatures around the area.

As I did that, I could sense that the kittens reacted to my sudden flare of spiritual energy and are now looking at me. "Checking the area." I answered their unspoken question.

Checking once more, I felt satisfied at the lack of anything suspicious. Then, I walked over to open a cupboard close to the floor that stored multiple scrolls and writing tools. I pulled out one of the scrolls, a brush, the inkwell, and some ink to bring with me to the low table on the low corner of the shrine. Once everything was prepared, I opened the scroll and began writing.

The weather was clear today, though the days continue to grow shorter and the nights longer. I found seven cats on my way back from gathering herbs. They are much more than they appear. Dangerous? Perhaps. For now, we seem to have come to an understanding that should they follow my rules, they may continue to stay with me. So far, they have shown that they understand human language and can sense spiritual auras. One of the cats, with a black coat and red eyes, breathed fire on the pile of wood in the clearing, successfully starting a fire to cook with. I had almost attacked them then, but perhaps it was more beneficial to leave them be because who knows, these kittens may grow up to be strong familiars for a miko like me. I need the help, especially now that the jewel has been attracting more and more demons lately. These small creatures may just prove to be a blessing one day.

* * *

Itachi was no pervert. When Kikyou was changing, he hadn't averted his only because he didn't feel the need to. As if she knows they were actually full grown men inside these feline vessels. Anyways, he would deny any kind of comments about his actions in the end.

I am content to know that the person who has provided us shelter is caring and understanding...and beautiful. I finished the last part of that thought with wistful unawareness.

Just as I thought she would blow out the candles and head off to bed, she pulls out a scroll and writing instruments out of a cupboard. With a trained silence, I made my way near her and tried to read what she was writing. Though some characters were ancient and forgotten, I understood that she was keeping a record of the events that happened today. What intrigued me, however, was the fact that she held belief that we would stay long enough to be her "familiars". Hn. By then I hope to have left this place and returned to my body.

It seemed that there was trouble brewing around the temple as well because of these "demons",- like the bijuu?- yet another incentive to take my leave. Blinking towards the moonlight that trickled through the sliding doors, I still contemplated if staying here instead could be of some benefit.

When Kikyou had finished writing, she rolled the scroll and sealed it with her luminous fingers. Again with that strange power. Just how much can it do?, the miko's power seems to be useful in various types of ways. The seal on the scroll seemed secure as I prodded at it with my own limited chakra. But why had she sealed the scroll? Most likely, they were for personal keeping and tracking that she would not trust anyone else with. A smart decision on her half because secrets are either told or written down, and personally I find writing them to be much safer. You could always burn them away.

So even this "Kikyou-sama" has her own secrets. I guess anyone with power tends to collect them, the same way danger just seems to be attracted to strong forces.


	4. Chapter 4

It's been a little over a week since arriving here at the temple and striking up a truce with the woman. So far, our efforts to find out more of our condition has been fruitless, and quite frankly, a waste of time.

We were wasting even more time by continuing to stay in this temple and not looking for other resources that could help us.

With an annoyed grunt, I leapt out from the the small formation of stacked rocks I was resting by, only to be found by a certain black-coated feline who stalked the temple roofs before jumping down gracefully to face me.

"Itachi." I said with a tinge of irritation. Even _more_ irritating was how the other cat just blinked at me as acknowledgement.

At any rate, I wanted to vent out some of my frustrations, so who better to do that to than an unresponsive Uchiha?

"I _strongly suggest_ we move on and find somewhere else to collect information from. We do not know how long this transformation will keep us, or if it will kill us after a certain time period." I pointed out. I tried holding back some of my displeasure but I was sure the Uchiha could still pick up on them.

Instead of staying silent and/or ignoring me like I had expected him to do, the onyx cat replied with a muted tone, "Always in a rush, Sasori. Look around you. There is a great power on these temple grounds. It would be irrational to leave without knowing the extent of that...power." I knew he was referring to the woman as this "power" and I had to reluctantly agree that she was a source of interest.

What with her gleaming fingers and unusual "chakra" levels. She was gentle yet firm as well, not nearly as troublesome as I had originally pinned her to be. The villagers around the temple and the people who lived on the temple grounds seemed to revere her as some kind of noble figure. Perhaps in this place- this world? this time period?- she would be the equivalent of a Kage.

My own thoughts distracted me as I pondered about the woman that by the time I looked back at Itachi, all that was left was a faint breeze that sent a small shiver up my spine.

 _Being a kitten leaves me vulnerable to the weather. From the color of the trees, autumn is what is bringing these chillier winds._

From my left I could feel the miko's unique energy slowly head towards my direction. I'm guessing she was heading out of the temple to do her daily check-up on some ill villagers. Why she goes to these extents for the welfare of her villagers is beyond me, surely those useless imbeciles at least know how to do first-aid but even then she helps them! Pushing my growing frustrations aside, I focused back on her oncoming presence. With a ninja's ease I hid under the porch of a shrine as she approached, hoping she had not seen me.

Just as I thought she was about to pass by, her feet stops right in front of the porch where I was hiding. Calmly, and almost deliberately suspenseful, she turns her feet to face the porch, "Red, what are you doing?" Her voice was as pleasant as always, though there was a lilt of teasing in it.

I could say for certain that she knows exactly how our chakra signatures work and that she can distinguish between the seven us, given that she can always find and identify us at any given moment. Yet another bothersome skill to add to her ever-growing resume of "genius", as Tobi once said.

I rolled my eyes at the thought as I begrudgingly got out from under the safety of the porch. As I looked up at her face, I could see the twinkle of amusement in her eyes. "I'm heading out to the village. I know you are more responsible than some of the others, so I trust that you keep them out of trouble," she requested.

"Of course I'm the responsible one," I half-meowed, half-growled at her. She assumed what my response meant and left with a charming smile.

I snorted, she may be lovely now but what is the use of such temporary beauty? The woman couldn't be over thirty. When her youth is gone, I can't help but wonder if she will still hold her charm.

I watched her figure recede down the steps before stalking off somewhere else. On our first day here, she wanted us to stay near her at all times but it was clear by day three that that was nearly impossible with Hidan's temperament and Tobi's general penchant to meander about.

By now we just roam as we please, and as long as we caused no trouble, the woman seemed to just accept that this was how it was to be. Internally, I scoffed at her weak resolve, she made those big threats but it seems the we've softened her enough to get away with already breaking her "rules".

I prowled around the temple ground some more before my heightened hearing picked up on some conversation. "Miss Yuina? How did Kikyou-sama become so strong?" A child's voice inquired on the other side of sliding door that was slightly opened.

"What brought this up, Rena-chan?" An older, feminine voice responded.

"I want to know how Kikyou-sama became strong enough to protect the village and purify demons...because someday I want to be able to protect my loved ones as well." The child trailed off, the last part ending in a muffled whisper.

There was a slight pause from the older woman, perhaps thinking about what "Rena-chan" had said. Now normally, I couldn't care less for worthless exchanges such as this, but my own personal curiosity of that woman convinced me to stay.

"Remember what I had told you of the Shikon Jewel, Rena-chan? The one that Kikyou-sama protects?" The younger girl made a noise of recognition, she was probably nodding her head excitedly as most children do.

"Of course! The Shikon Jewel is closely guarded by Kikyou-sama and she is the only one allowed in its shrine; she sleeps in there to better protect it! Many demons, and some bad humans, want the jewel for its power and to grant their wish!"

 _Wish? So this jewel was some kind of "magical" wishing stone now, huh?_ , I sneered at the thought. I knew it, this conversation was a waste of time, sure, that miko has some interesting capabilities but she was obviously wasting it by guarding this pointless jewel of hers.

Just as I turned to leave, the older woman spoke again, "Yes, that is the general knowledge of the jewel. Now come closer child, I will tell you about the creation of this jewel and how it got its powers, which also gives Kikyou-sama her powers."

 _The source of her power, hmm?_

There was some shuffling noise as I faced the direction of their voices again. This time I sat on my hind legs behind the door and waited for the old woman to speak again.

"Hundreds of years ago, there resided a powerful priestess by the name of Midoriko. It was said that she was so powerful, she could easily purify ten yokai* at once. Even Kikyou-sama's powers could not do that much. The great priestess then encountered a powerful, destructive yokai, stronger than any we have ever seen. Their battle waged on for seven days and seven nights," at the thought of such a demon, the child gasped.

The old woman continues, "Knowing that she will not win this battle, the priestess bound the yokai's spirit to her own, effectively killing both of them and thus, creating the Shikon Jewel*. However, inside the jewel, Midoriko and that yokai continue to fight, and whoever possesses the jewel influences their battle. So far, only other mikos such as Kikyou-sama have inherited the title as the protector of the jewel and so Midoriko continues to have the upper hand."

"Then what happens if some demon has the jewel? Will Midoriko lose?" The child cried out.

"It is said that should the jewel be tainted by a demonic aura or evil intent, the jewel will cause the host to become a demon themselves. Some even say that if the jewel becomes completely tainted, the demon that Midoriko sacrificed her life to seal away will be released and will wreak havoc on this earth once more." After speaking, a somber silence fell upon us.

"There is no need to worry though, Rena-chan. Kikyou-sama is fully capable of being able to protect the jewel. Her soul is one of the most purest of humans. There is no way the Shikon Jewel will get tainted with her around. And since both the jewel and Kikyou-sama use spiritual energy, the jewel boosts Kikyou-sama's already strong powers." The old woman added.

Having heard enough, I left my cover next to the door and head off.

This cannot be more than exaggerated stories created by these mindless fools. Though a nagging voice in the back of my head scolds me to take everything with a grain of truth. Surely some parts of that story were true, maybe there really lived a priestess named Midoriko? But the fact that the creation of this jewel meant the sacrifice of sealing away two lives was much too similar to the way that jinchurikis were made- except that jinchurikis were people and not sparkling stones.

Nearing the shrine I heard yet another conversation, this time from two young women sweeping the ground next to a small shed. Even with myself out in the open, they didn't notice me.

 _Tch, if I didn't know any better it was as if that woman told her temple "house cleaners" to ignore us_ , I scoffed. Though the children tried to pet us if we were near, for the most part everyone left us alone and ignored us.

The lady on the left with brown hair opened her mouth, "Did you hear, Kikyou-sama turned down a love letter sent by a high-ranking samurai today."

"Another one? Sheesh, you'd think she'd enjoy the attention and have some fun ya know!" The two girls laughed.

 _Of course they were speaking about crude subjects such as this_ , I rolled my eyes. I assumed that others have also heard of that woman's beauty and wanted to have that for themselves. This event must occur often if the lady's comment had any merit.

The other woman with blonde hair murmured, "But poor Kikyou-sama, though I understand why she wouldn't want to be with anyone, I mean, she's in charge of protecting the Shikon Jewel and the village and the temple. The older ladies say that she became the guardian of the jewel when she was eight*, right after her parents died during an attack from a hoard of demons."

My eyebrows raised as high as this feline body would allow- which is not at all- at the revelation that she became the pseudo-kage of this village at the age of eight.

 _And it seems we come from similar roots_ , I thought bitterly. Both of us had lost our parents at a young age, though I had grandparents and she had a younger sister left over from the attacks.

The brunette looked a bit pensive before replying to her friend's comment, "Hey," she said with a hushed voice, though my sensitive ears could still hear her clearly, "You didn't hear this from me, but, I heard that Kikyou-sama had wanted to live like a normal woman instead, like before her parents died she got into a lot of heated arguments with them about inheriting the title of protecting the jewel. Originally, Kikyou-sama had wanted to pass that title down to Kaede-san, who was still a baby at the time. Anyways, I think after her parent's death, Kikyou-sama picked up the slack because she felt it was her duty to her dead parents." Both girls stared at the ground before them grievously.

Well it _does_ make sense that she would feel obligated to take up her position, it was like her parent's last wish. In more ways than one, I can understand if she held resentment towards her duty since she opposed it so strongly before. However, it does not explain why she goes above and beyond and does more than just "protect". In fact, the woman healed the villagers, helped anyone near her, and made medicine with the herbs she carried- in some off thought I wondered if I could teach her how to make poisons from those herbs.

"I feel bad for her since she does so much even when she didn't want this kind of life in the first place," the blonde worried, "No, actually I think she'll always help people no matter what kind of life she leads, but becoming a powerful miko with the burden of the jewel prevents her from being a normal woman. Kikyou-sama has bound herself to a life fighting and serving…"

"Damn it, Misaki! Now you're making me tear up for our Lady!" The brunette cried out. The other sputtered in response and soon the girls were arguing about feelings and insensitivity.

I bounced out and headed into the shrine. I realized that the woman's life is much like that priestess from the story, Midoriko. Both were destined to live a life of battle and burden. Both have sacrificed something important to them: one, a life, and the other, a dream of a life.

 _Then who is Kikyou's demon?_

Kikyou, the miko, the priestess. After all that I've learned it seems that even more mystery shrouds you. One thing is for certain however, you are a beacon of purity. Despite your burden of a life you did not want, you took it with grace and helped those with your kindness. There was no bad word uttered about you that I have heard and there are those who mourn about your lost dream, even.

At that moment, a glint of the jewel caught my eye. The sun was setting once again and the twilight rays passing through the paper of the doors made the jewel seem ethereal. My eyes widened just then.

 _That's it! That's it, goddammit, this is what she is!_ , I thought ecstatically.

Kikyou is like the jewel. Everlasting in its struggle and beauty. A fragment of art that will last for eternity. Kikyou **is** the jewel, in some ways.

I felt my body almost vibrate at this epiphany. All along the greatest piece of art was before me and of course, like the fool I admit I can be, I didn't notice it. A fool!

 _There!_ , I snapped my head towards the door that slid open, revealing a blank-faced Kikyou. Seeing her in a new light, I noticed the finer details of this woman, her fine, midnight hair, small face, and delicate body. I was almost ashamed that I was blind to her beauty until now.

"Kikyou." I called out to her, though my vocal cords did nothing but release a sound similar to metal screeching.

Her eyes landed on me and for a moment I felt joy that she has given her attentions to me. With a soft smile she addressed me, "Red. Would you like to help me lay down the futon?"

And of course I stayed.


End file.
